Eknath Shinde asks MRIDC to fast-track Elphinstone bridge work, target April completion

DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER Eknath Shinde on Monday directed the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (MRIDC) to expedite dismantling and reconstruction of the railway portions of the Elphinstone bridge and complete the work by the end of April, setting a deadline that is significantly earlier than the agency’s projected September timeline.

MRIDC, also known as MahaRail, is responsible for rebuilding the railway span of the bridge, while the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is constructing the non-railway portions through its contractor J Kumar. Piling work on the non-railway side has already begun and is on track, officials said.

However, a senior MMRDA official pointed to delays in the railway segment. “The deadline for getting the completely reconstructed bridge ready for traffic is September, so if the MRIDC finishes the railway portion in September, we will still have the work of joining it to the non-railway portions,” the official said. “It is because of MahaRail that the bridge will be delayed,” he said.